Average Joe (2018)

46

I struggled to pick my jaw up off the floor. Mom flew away off on screen before the cops pushing past the news anchors could arrest her.

"Oh my God," Darwin said. "I can't believe this." My Dad left the room and came back in with his suit on.

"The Chronicle and Robson will be at Shadow Global. I'm going after them before the cops get there. They can't handle these lunatics." I picked up my baton.

"We're going with you," I informed him. He frowned.

"Like hell you are."

"We can handle ourselves," I argued. "We've just spent the last few weeks proving that." Dad sighed, before turning to Cora.

"Is Tori's car still in the parking lot?" Cora nodded. "Then Norman and I will fly there. You two follow in Tori's car. But keep a distance. We don't know what we're up against yet." My heart swelled. While this wasn't quite the circumstances I pictured, I always imagined helping my Dad clean up crime as a child and the fact my distant childhood dream was now coming true in some aspect, felt very strange to me.

Dad and I went to the balcony. I wrapped my arms around him, surprised at how light he was, then took to the sky. I waited until I saw Tori's car pull out of the parking complex and then flew west toward Shadow Global. We soared past the clouds as Tori's Hyundai followed at a distance.

My heart dropped when we reached the building. There was a perimeter of empty cop cars surrounding the building. From this distance, I could see some cops sprawled out across the ground, dead.

"The enforcers," Dad mused. "Robson's getting desperate. More cops will be coming with SERT teams with them. We need to make this quick."

The two of us descended through the clouds, touching down among the trashed cop cars. Cora and Darwin pulled up behind us. Cora let out a curse as she emerged from the car and saw the chaos around us.

"Stay out here," Dad told them. "If you see any enforcers or cops, or... well, anyone, let us know." Dad stepped through the shattered remnants of the glass doors, me following closely. My heart sank as I stepped through the blood and shattered glass. Corpses, both cops and enforcers lined the floor of the lobby. It looked nothing like it did when I was here a couple of hours ago. Behind the reception desk, the big marble statue of Helena Robson, aka Melonie, aka Oblivion, had been destroyed.

Dad saw something and let out a sharp cry. I looked where he did and saw it... on the floor was the decapitated head of my principal. I leaned to the side and threw up.

"How?" I gagged. Dad stepped forward and kneeled by the head. Tears brimmed in his eyes for the woman he once loved.

"I'm so sorry, Melonie," he sighed.

Footsteps approached and I drew my baton. Dad shot up and his fists lit up in flame. The Chronicle stepped out of the darkness, about a dozen enforcers behind him.

"Norman!" The Chronicle cheered. "I was hoping you would show up. And you brought your father, wonderful. I assume Miss Tate and Mister DeCade are outside?"

"You..." Dad choked. "Killed Melonie."

"I did," the Chronicle agreed. "And now you and your son."

Red Flame let out a guttural yell as he charged.

"Red Flame!" I called. "Wait!" The Chronicle raised his arms and a very familiar force came at us. Relying on instinct, I rolled to the side, but Dad, still charging, was caught in the field and his sprint slowed to a crawl. Red Flame growled.

"What the...? What is this?" I stood and looked at my father, trapped in a slow time-field. A power that was very similar to...

"Tori," I breathed. The Chronicle smiled.